The prime minister of Australia’s plan to impose an age limit for teenagers to access social media kicked off a debate this week over what the age should be, whether a ban is feasible and if the restriction would be good for kids.
While Anthony Albanese has argued the policy is something parents have called for, and experts in mental health and other industries warn it could force kids into less safe situations, the teens who are affected have largely been absent from discussions.
Guardian Australia has spoken to teenagers and younger children to get their perspective on if they support the idea, and whether it can be effective. From useless to beneficial to a social-life killer, there was a mix of views.
Genevieve, 14, Melbourne, Victoria
“The idea seems great but I think [social media] is a really good place to chat with friends, be creative and keep up with trends. And I think it would be bad in terms of social life.”
Rosa, 13, Bronte, New South Wales
“I think a ban would be pretty inconvenient – I use social media to talk to all of my friends. At school, we have team group chats and it’s really good to keep in contact with the team and our coach.
“I don’t know how they’d enforce it. I think most people would somehow pretend they are 16, so a ban probably wouldn’t make much of an impact.”
Peta, 11, NSW
“I think it’s good that they are upping the age but I don’t think they should make it as high as 16. If you put it up to 15 then you would have more time to train your brain to tell misinformation from fact.
“Definitely we need lessons in schools … telling you this is what you need to be prepared for. Social media isn’t a perfectly safe place. It can be dangerous. Whenever you put something up there, it will be there for ever.
“At the moment, our brains can’t process how dangerous social media can be until we’re in it. It can be fun, but we need to know how it works and what it does to us.
“People my age shouldn’t have it on their own personal devices. But I know people who do. They use stuff like TikTok, Facebook, and they also use YouTube. Some of them have accounts where they’re very involved and they post gaming videos, like when they’re playing Roblox.
“If people are 10 or 11 and the age limit is 15, then they’ll realise that’s four or five years away and they’d be less likely to try it.”
Storm, 16, Port Lincoln, South Australia
“[Social media is] a place where I can escape reality and be myself without having to worry about being bullied. I think it could go both ways, but highly doubt it will be effective as kids work around restrictions already.”
Aaron, 14, Sydney, NSW
“I don’t understand why the government would try and do something that has already failed in other countries. If Anthony Albanese thinks this will work, he will probably be wrong.
“We’ve seen countries and social media platforms try and restrict the ability for young people to access these apps, but people discover loopholes and the rule is essentially useless. Furthermore, this could lose people’s trust in the government as they may see this as a privacy issue or violation.”
Amalia, 15, NSW
“I think it’s really good because I see a lot of younger people constantly influenced by social media and I feel like they don’t even have enough time to grow up. Social media at times can be good, but it can also have a really negative impact on people. It can affect body image, and it sort of takes your own opinions away.
“Snapchat and other apps can also be very dangerous. Children on Snapchat are being exposed to, like, a random person asking for nudes. It happens at such early ages. So I thought it was a very good thing to hear what they’re going to do.
“For me, when my mum takes my phone away for a couple days, I feel so good for those couple of days. I almost get this anxiety from my phone. Having my phone back would almost make me anxious. I do not mean to be a hypocrite, I’m constantly on social media. I’m chronically on social media, I’m sucked into that whole world.
“I hear about my mum’s childhood experiences and feel like I’d probably be able to hang out with my friends more and be able to do more fun things [without a phone]. My teacher would tell me about how kids would get handwritten letters, and I think that’s really cute.”
Ace, 15, Port Lincoln, SA
“[Social media is] a platform to express myself because I can’t do that freely at home. [The ban is] a good idea, but things are in place now and children still bypass it.”
